Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [Extra Frills Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The usually menacing British actor Terence Stamp does a complete turnaround as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners, Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce). Their act, well-known in Sydney, involves wearing lots of makeup and gowns and lip-synching to records, but Bernadette is getting a bit tired of it all and is also haunted by the bizarre death of an old loved one. Nevertheless, when Mitzi and Felicia get an offer to perform in the remote town of Alice Springs at a casino, Bernadette decides to tag along. The threesome ventures into the outback with Priscilla, a lavender-colored school bus that doubles as dressing room and home on the road. Along the way, the act encounters any number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while Bernadette becomes increasingly concerned about the path her life has taken. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, Dolby Digital Stereo
• Encoding: NTSC
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, Spanish
• Features:
  • Audio commentary by director Stephan Elliot
  • Birth of a Queen featurette
  • Never-before-seen deleted scenes
  • Tidbits From the Set
  • The Bus From Blooperville Outtakes
  • Frocks, Frills and Fotos still gallery
  • Original theatrical trailer and more!

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Costume Design - 1994 (Tim Chappel, Lizzy Gardiner)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1994 (Terence Stamp)
•     Nominated Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1994

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Terence Stamp - Bernadette
       Hugo Weaving - Tick/Mitzi
       Guy Pearce - Adam/Felicia
       Bill Hunter - Bob
       Sarah Chadwick - Marion

• Director:

  Stephan Elliot

• Producer:

  Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn

• Screenwriter:

  Stephan Elliot

• Cinematographer:

  Brian J. Breheny

• Composer (Music Score):

  Guy Gross

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Guntis Sics

• Editor:

  Sue Blainey

• Production Designer:

  Owen Paterson

• Art Director:

  Colin Gibson

• Associate Producer:

  Sue Seeary

REVIEW:

• A campy ode to alternative lifestyles and the music of ABBA, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is nonetheless rarely played for straight laughs, respecting the dignity of its subjects too much to mock them. Instead, it's a rich study of how smiles and wit can conceal, or fail to conceal, private pain. Like the American movie it obviously inspired, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), Priscilla dresses up in drag a bunch of actors who (in retrospect, if not at the time) are more familiar to audiences in macho contexts: British heavy Terence Stamp and Aussies Guy Pearce (a hard-boiled cop in L.A. Confidential) and Hugo Weaving (the villainous agent in The Matrix). The trio has a rollicking good time across the outback, in spite of the vitriol they must often deflect, giving a sadly realistic glimpse of the defensive shield those at society's fringes must assimilate as a given part of their daily lives. Stamp in particular stands out, eloquently weathered for what seems to be his last hurrah. Director Stephan Elliott astutely captures the strange clashing of the big city (the flamboyant road trippers) and the back water (their hosts and hecklers). Beyond being a fond favorite among gay audiences, the film's sensitive character portrayal has earned it a wider appreciation that exceeds cult status. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

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